


And They Melt

by ohnoshefell



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Eventual Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gendry is a Baratheon, Gendrya - Freeform, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Minor Character Death, cheerleader! Arya, gendry is grumpy, high school tropes baybeeee, my miserable attempt at a slow burn, or major to Gendry at least, school boxing! gendry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:41:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnoshefell/pseuds/ohnoshefell
Summary: After Gendry's mother passes away and his estranged father takes him in, Gendry finds himself adjusting to life in a new neighborhood and a new school and Arya finds herself intrigued by the new kid with a strong opposition to cheerleaders.Based on the prompt posted on @/oryss_ on twitter!





	1. Surprise Him Today, After All

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just all over the place, alright? 
> 
> lmao, enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really have no idea why I convinced myself starting a third fic while in the middle of writing 2 other fics, but that's a chaotic bi for you if there ever was one. Live and let live, enjoy my dudes :)

He's not so sure what to think. He wasn't so sure what to think five fucking weeks ago when his mother's long term illness deteriorated her health exponentially and Robert Baratheon showed up to father him all of a sudden and he's not so sure what to think now.

He hadn't known that this was what he'd be discussing with his biological father when he agreed to have dinner with him before he left for his life in the capital.

"Your mother and I discussed this before she-" Robert paused for a moment, not entirely sure he wanted to finish the sentence.

"Before she died? You don't have to be afraid to say it. You weren't afraid to leave her, you shouldn't be afraid to say a few words." Gendry says sharply.

A look of guilt and sadness flashes across Robert's round face,"We really should talk about that Gendry." Robert spoke with carefulness edged into his voice.

Gendry's face grew stony and the cup of soda he held in his hands suddenly felt too rigid and too cold.

"We don't need to do that." was all he offered in response, averting his gaze to look at the pasta on his plate.

"We do. But that's not what we're here to speak about today."

"No. We're here to talk about me moving into the posh part of town with you now that mum's gone." Gendry decides it's something he'll never believe.

Robert nodded, his usual practiced ease and carelessness ebbing away.

"Yes. That. I know how strongly you must feel about this entire situation-"

"That's putting it lightly." Gendry scoffed.

"But-" Robert fixed him with a stern glare, an action he entirely wasn't used to but found himself thinking he might need to with how surly Gendry was,"It's what your mother decided and frankly I agree with her." Robert finished softly. He might have only known about Gendry for nothing short of 2 months, but he was his son, mother or not. He owed him some type of fatherhood at that. His surprising fondness of the boy, he thought, would make this easier.

Gendry was dead set on not letting that happen.

Gendry sends a glare his way,"You had 17 years-"

"I only knew about you for 2 months, Gendry."

"Well you weren't exactly keeping it in your pants when you were a young wild bachelor, now were you?"

Robert stares at Gendry and slumps in his seat,"No I wasn't. You're right about that. But I'm trying to do better now. Will you let me do that?"

Gendry drops his glare to eye Robert carefully,"It's what she wanted then?"

Robert sighed,"I wouldn't say it's what she wanted. I'd say it's what she thought was best. Here-" Robert reached into the left breast pocket of his blazer"-she said to give you these after we spoke about this."

Robert passes the small stack of letters to Gendry, each numbered and labeled for when to open them.

Gendry felt his eyes soften and his heart clench at the sight of the familiar handwriting belonging to his mother and he gently grabs them from Robert.

Robert thinks himself silly for feeling like he was intruding on a private moment. But it feels that way in every sense. 

Gendry knew Gemma Waters more than he ever would. He hopes beyond hope this will be good for Gendry and for him the way Gemma promised it would be.

To say he was shocked when she had called him 2 months ago to reveal he had a 17 year old son would've been the understatement of the century. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, with him having slept his way through the near majority of the continent.

"You don't have to read them now if you don't want to. She said when you were ready. They're all yours." He adds after a beat.

Gendry only nods, his mind still reeling with the miniature plethora of unread words from his mother.

Had his mother really thought this was best?

Wherever she was, he didn't want to let her down.

Gendry lets out a sigh and reluctantly meets Robert's hopeful eyes.

"When do we move?"

* * *

Packing up is light work for him, physically. But it weighs heavily on his heart. No more Sunday morning chocolate chip waffles in their too small for the both of them kitchen. No more soft delicate hands scuffing up his hair to wake him up for school. No more bowls of brown for his birthday. Gendry busies himself with packing up the rest of his belongings in his room in an effort to distract his mind from whatever sad thoughts are trying to edge their way in, but one look at the broken nightstand by his old bed where his mothers letters are sitting, he knows it's not going to happen. Surrounded by very few boxes and walls no longer renting posters of Interpol, Nirvana and The Verve, Gendry sits on the floor and grabs the letter labeled "1". He's not sure what he's expecting, but his heart hurts knowing this letter was held and written by his mother and holds her words meant just for him.

With his blue eyes burning and his uneasy breathing, he carefully tears open the letter, unfolds it and reads what it says.

_My sweet Gendry. For 17 years, you have been the greatest love and light of my life. Sick or not, you saved me. I never knew what I wanted to do in life, who I wanted to be and while you were certainly unexpected, the instant I knew about you, it seemed I knew everything else. What I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. The answer was simple. I wanted to be your mother, and for 17 beautiful years, I got what I wanted and more. You were my little miracle. You're so beyond extraordinary Gendry and you're going to be amazing. You're going to do great things in this world and I want absolutely everything for you. You are certainly going to be mad with that fury of yours no one can seem to tame, that you most decidedly do not get from me, but this will be good for you, I'm certain. You are so much bigger than Fleabottom, Gendry. You won't like it and you may not see it, but this will take you places. I know how you feel about Robert and I understand you more than you know. It's how I felt for a long time, but I learned to let it go because I got you. He's here now, for however much it counts. You won't have to like him. Nobody knows better than anyone how much I can't get you to like somebody you just don't like(Bronn Blackwater certainly will never forget it), but try. You will always have me, you will always have my memory and my story belongs to you now. But try. You have him here and now. The capital might be fun, yeah? Think of all you'll get to do and everyone you'll meet and the places you'll go. My sweet Gendry, it's time for you to fly. I love you now, I love you tomorrow. I love you always._

_Always yours,_

_Mum xx_

He feels tears slip out of his eyes and he reads the letter over and over again before he lets out a heavy breath, he has a few more letters to get through but he's not meant to open them. Not yet at least. He decides for his mother, he'll try. Who knows? Maybe life in the capital might be alright.

* * *

"And this is your room." Robert gestures awkwardly at the bedroom that was easily three times the size of his old one. This entire house could swallow his mother and his old flat twenty times over.

The line between how amazed and disgusted he was by the copious amount of space was very, **very** fine.

He gives a short nod before stepping into the bedroom that already housed his boxes that the movers brought in earlier.

"Uh, thanks."

Robert shoots him a grin before backing out,"I have to send some work emails, I'll be in the study if you need anything."

Gendry nods again and once Robert's out of the room, he closes the door behind him. Almost as soon as that happens, there's three small knocks on the door. He turns and opens it to a sheepish looking Robert,"Sorry, I forgot to mention, you have school at 8 tomorrow. Kings Landing Preparatory High School. Davos will be here at 7:30 to drive you."

Gendry eyes Robert warily before attempting a reassuring smile, entirely forced.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to wake up on time."

Robert nodded and walked out for certain this time.

* * *

He spends that night looking through what he packed and suddenly everything he has feels so little in his new big room. His things had always felt too big, they had always felt like too much. While it might not look like enough, it means everything now more than ever.

His heart is broken and he misses his mother, but they'd known for a year that she had cancer and they'd spent the last five weeks prior to this one saying goodbye. It didn't hurt any less, but at least she stopped it from hurting more. She stopped him from hurting one last time. She always knew how to take his pain away and she made sure she wouldn't be the cause of it this time.

He puts his posters of Interpol, The Verve and Nirvana up side by side above the desk on the other side of the room. He swears he'll never take those posters down no matter how old he gets. Ever since his 10th Cronesmas when his mother gave them to him, he's kept them up. He will always keep them up.

He unpacks his books both for reading and sketching and they all feel foreign in his hands, like they're seeing something they shouldn't see, like they're in a room they shouldn't be in.

Like he's in a room he shouldn't be in.

* * *

He found sleeping easier than he had been expecting. The week had worn down his poor teenage soul and he found solace in sleep and annoyance in hearing his alarm ringing the next morning.

True to what his father had said, the man, Davos, had been there 7:30 sharp, ready to take him to school.

"You ready, lad?" Davos asked, his voice hearty and full of warmth and Gendry wasn't sure what it was about him, but it made him feel a little bit better about having to stay in King's Landing.

"As I'll ever be." He replies, his voice wavering slightly, causing a grin to break over Davos' face.

"You'll be fine. Let's head on out, son."

And so they do.

* * *

The differences he notices between Fleabottom and King's Landing are staggering.

In the morning, King's Landing is a lot more busy than Fleabottom. People in suits and proper work attire are all fluttering about.

Fleabottom, while notorious for its housing of low income families, felt like a real community. Sure, a dangerous community where no woman or child would be caught dead out past midnight, but a community nonetheless. King's Landing felt like a zone meant only for you to travel through, no roots to be planted, no trees nurtured for growth.

The air was cleaner, the cars were nicer and the food was more expensive and overall he decided anybody from King's Landing could never truly appreciate the things that mattered if they were all constantly this hellsbent on filling their lives with the things that don't.

King's Landing Preparatory High School was no different from its outside parent community.

Every student in there walked about with their pristine school uniforms of black pants and black pleated skirts, white button down shirts with a black and yellow striped tie, a black blazer with yellow lining and a little crest pin of a giant black male deer in front of nothing but yellow and shiny nice black shoes to tie together their drony looks and help bring to life their school mantra of "Go Stags! Go!" as if the godsdamn overuse of black and yellow wasn't enough.

He wasn't wearing the uniform. He was clad in his black ripped jeans, a black t-shirt with the words "nicest asshole" printed in white on the upper right corner and a black leather jacket. He was in mourning so the use of black was more than reasonable. It had only been a week and a half since his mother passed and 2 days since he'd moved from their old home, his old childhood home. He also couldn't be bothered with the uniform. Who on earth would want to wear this much fucking yellow?

He's putting his books away in his new locker, ignoring looks from onlookers when it happens.

"Here you go, lad."

All he sees is a little pink slip that reads "DETENTION" at the top and turns to see the outstretched hand passing it to him.

"Detention?" is all he offers up in question because how has it only been fifteen minutes since he's set foot in this building and already he has detention?

"Yes. Detention." The teacher eyes him more carefully as if noticing for the first time this isn't a student he recognizes,"I'm Mr.Dondarrion, don't believe we've met before."

Gendry just stares at the man with narrowed eyes,"We haven't, it's my first day. Why exactly am I getting detention?"

"Dress code violation. You're not in uniform lad-" he pauses to shoot him a sympathetic look before his eyes find the words on Gendry's shirt"-and a few choice words on that shirt of yours."

Gendry just shakes his head,"hadn't known."

"Well now you do. Let this be a lesson learned for future reference."

Gendry takes the pink slip reluctantly and heads to his first class of the day, hoping this day isn't going to be as long as it's proving it might be.

On his way to class he doesn't consider much about what might happen or who he might meet but he doesn't hide his surprise at seeing actual cheerleaders in the halls. Three to be exact, gathered by an open locker, whispering and giggling and shooting suggestive looks his way. Did cheerleaders actually exist? Was he on a different planet or in a godsdamn movie? What in seven fresh hells was going on?

He tears his eyes away from the sight of their more than yellow outfits and discomforting smiles that started making his skin crawl and keeps walking down.

"Where the fuck is room 147." he mutters to himself and two short bodies are standing in front of him.

"Room 147? Doesn't exist anymore." The skinny, lanky blonde one says. Gendry tries his best not to shoot glares at the two boys in front of him.

"What do you mean it doesn't exist anymore?"

"Used to be the old school lab, but they're renovating it. I'm surprised they're still putting it on class schedules." The shorter chubbier one with brown curly hair says.

"Right. So what the hells am I supposed to do then?" Gendry finds his patience wearing thin.

The two boys eyes widen before they look at one another and then back at Gendry, who was towering over them.

"We can take you to the class you're supposed to have. It's a floor up in the temporary lab. If you're supposed to be in room 147 for-" they read his schedule,"AP Bio with Mr. Pycelle then we know exactly where you're supposed to go." The shorter one says happily.

Gendry looks at the both of them before slumping his shoulders and nodding.

"I'm Hot Pie by the way."

"I'm Lommy Greenhands."

He's seriously starting to entertain the idea that he is on another planet now more than ever because what type of fucking names are Lommy and Hot Pie?

"Gendry. Waters." He offers as he shakes the thought of the abnormality of their names away.

They're trying to be nice, he could try too. That's what his mother had said she wanted for him in the letter, right?

* * *

With help from Lommy and Hot Pie earlier, who he might consider his new friends(although he was still keeping his options open), Gendry had found the temporary lab with ease, earning a look of disapproval from Mr.Pycelle for arriving just a tad bit past starting time, and several looks of surprise from the students in front of him. He made his way to sit in the back, as he did with the rest of his classes, just droning through the day.

  
At lunch, his shock was still evident when a few other cheerleaders walked through the cafeteria but he shook his head and payed them no mind, the same way he payed no mind to the few football players he had seen earlier.

He had no interest in the "Go Stags! Go!" and the "rah rah's" of high school cheerleaders. In fact, he had very little interest in anything this school seemed to offer. He made that much clear when Lommy and Hot Pie had joined him at lunch to find out how he had been adjusting as the new kid in senior year and after grunting in response and shrugging his shoulders, Lommy and Hot Pie exchanged a look before dropping the subject altogether and promptly deciding they would help him tough it out.

His last two classes hadn't even been very memorable either, but he didn't miss the look of delightful surprise that took over the blonde boy in his Braavosi literature class at how tall and broad he was and he had definitely heard him mutter something about joining the football team to one of his other classmates, but he had simply move passed and sat in the back once more.

* * *

He had waited so patiently for the day to come to an end, but once he opened his locker and saw the pink slip fall out, he groaned suddenly remembering where he had to be for the next hour and a half.

He took out his phone and pulled up Robert's contact info and hesitated before typing out a text.

**Gendry: ** _Hey, Uh, Robert. I got detention today. Dress code violation. So I'll just take the tube home today and save Davos some time._

**...**

**...**

He sighed, waiting for whatever attempt at fatherly discipline Robert was going to try on him.

**Robert:** _Detention on your first day? Proud of you, son. See you at 6 then. Be safe._

He read the message over and over and he just knew there was absolutely no sarcasm whatsoever laced in his words and Robert had truly meant he was proud. 

_What a strange man._

After shutting his locker and putting his phone and headphones in his pockets, Gendry headed down the hall and to the left for an hour and a half of detention.

He didn't feel the need to brace himself for whatever might happen in detention. There wasn't much or anyone else that could surprise him today, now was there?

* * *

Gendry rounds the corner and opens the door on his left and he thinks he's got the wrong classroom because it's empty (save for Mr.Pycelle) and why would he be the only person in detention? But then he opens the door a little wider and is met with a figure sitting in the back, headphones plugged in and doodling away in her notebook.

She looks up and he is met with the most striking pair of eyes he has ever seen and he feels like his ability to breathe properly has been taken from him. 

Had grey always been so beautiful?

She smirks at him and almost immediately he's snapped out of his daze and he finds himself a little winded and a little stupid.

She points at the sign on the board all the way in the front that reads detention and he nods.

"Dress code violation?" She asks after taking in his appearance and he nods again before walking in and closing the door behind him.

So maybe he was wrong. Maybe there was one more thing that could surprise him today, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do we think party people?
> 
> peace and love,
> 
> ohnoshefell


	2. It Had Gone A Little Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gendry gets to know the girl in detention and thinks he's found a reason to like King's Landing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends (I totally said that in Safiya Nygaard's voice and have absolutely no regrets about it)
> 
> Here's another chapter and I love you.

It's not what he had been expecting for detention on his first day.

A lot of what happened today wasn't what he had been expecting for his first day. Not the uniforms, not the cheerleaders and certainly not the girl across from him. It was all strange and new and he felt out of his element but he figured that part was fair. It was all a bit of a culture shock for him, having been slumming it the majority of his life.

He looks over to the front where Mr.Pycelle, who had very clearly dozed off, was sitting in as the detention monitor today. The day had a strange start and it seemed only fitting that it ended that way too.

The only thing that really had his mind rattled was the girl across the room, or rather that she was the only other student, apart from him, in detention.

"You just going to stand there all day? Or are you actually going to sit? Don't think it'd be too good for your muscles to be standing in one place for nearly two hours." She spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts. Her voice was nothing short of amusement and he's not sure why, but he liked the way it sounded.

Gendry blinked at her a couple of times, the words registering in his mind at a slower pace than usual. 

"Uh. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna sit." As if his body suddenly caught up with his mind, he was striding across the room and plopped himself down in the seat next to hers.

"Got a name?" She asks him, once he's settled himself.

"Gendry." He introduces himself, a little nervous. He's not sure what he's nervous about, he hadn't been nervous the whole day and now he sits next to one pretty girl in detention and he's a bundle of nerves?

She smiles at him and his senses go into overdrive and he really thinks he needs to get a grip.

"New here?"

He nodded,"That obvious?" 

She nods, eyes alight with amusement,"I'm Arya by the way."

"Arya." He tests the name out on his tongue and he likes the way it sounds. She shoots a smile in his direction and gives an "mhm" of approval.

"So Arya, what are you in for?" 

Arya snorts,"What am I in for? This isn't prison, it's detention." She smiles widely at him before pointing at her shoes, which weren't shiny black pointed mules, but rather black leather mid calf combat boots.

"This place sure does take its dress code seriously." Gendry muttered.

He could understand why they appointed him to detention. His outfit, while he had not known uniforms were to be worn, was more than qualified to be deemed inappropriate, all black and crass words on his shirt? Of course they'd absolutely lose their shit over it. But her in detention? For boots? Even while she had the rest of her uniform on? Absolutley ridiculous.

"Why wouldn't they? They've all got a bunch of sticks up their arses."

Gendry lets out an unexpected chuckle at that, surprising even himself.

"Yeah they do. Especially that one teacher, Mr.Baelish."

Arya visibly shudders in disgust,"Don't even get me started on Mr.Baelish. The man is a creep and entirely way too pretentious." 

He didn't expect to meet someone who shared his same beliefs on this place so quickly or at all for that matter. He's grateful for it.

Gendry nodded in agreement before muttering under his breath "him and half the student body."

Arya eyed him, entirely amused,"Which half of the student body?"

He really did need to get better at muttering. Gendry looked into her grey eyes, all sparkling with mischief, his own blue ones wide.

"Oh, you know. Just the half with all the football players and cheerleaders. You know, the 'popular's'."

Arya tries to covertly stifle a laugh not all that well,"the popular's? Don't like cheerleaders then?" 

Gendry shakes his head vehemently,"No. I didn't think they actually existed in the real world."

Her eyes crinkled from how wide she's smiling,"So you don't even like their little uniforms then?" Her voice was laced with mirth and she was very clearly teasing him and he wasn't so sure what the joke was but he answers her anyway.

"Nah. They're all a little too 'rah! rah! Go, Stags! Go!' for me. Very snobby and to quote someone not too shabby-" He smirks at her,"-pretentious." He finishes, sure of himself and everything he was saying.

Sure, he'd only seen a handful of cheerleaders throughout the day, but he had seen enough of them flirtatiously hitting the shoulders of the football players, giggling at seemingly nothing and not really speaking with anyone else that wasn't a cheerleader to know they were as shallow as all the movies made them seem.

"Noted." is all Arya offers in response, a small smile playing at her lips like she knew something he didn't.

He shakes his head at her before she's speaking again,"It's a shame really. Not all cheerleaders are bad you know."

"Well, I'm not going to try to find out." He shoots back and she can only laugh to herself, way too entertained by what? He's not sure.

A silence falls upon them and where that would normally unnerve him, he finds it surprisingly comforting and very familiar. He'd only ever been able to sit comfortably in silence around his mother. Anybody else, the air always felt too thick and drenched in tension and awkwardness. But now, sitting here with a girl he's only known for less than 10 minutes, he feels at peace and it only _slightly_ terrifies him.

The silence only manages to last for a few more minutes before she looks up from her doodling once more to study Gendry. He'd almost feel like he were under a microscope if he hadn't been staring back.

"Why transfer a month into the school year?"

It's not really what he's expecting her to ask. Nobody else today really seemed all that interested in what brought him here. All they saw was a tall boy with black hair and blue eyes who was very clearly violating the dress code, not to mention the scowl fixed on his face. It was enough to scare away all the over achievers and do-gooders here.

Arya actually considers the thought that she sees the gears turning in his head because his face looks like he's thinking too hard. She decides to give him an out.

"If it's too personal, you don't have to tell me. We did just meet and in detention of all places." Her voice is soft when she speaks and he decides he'll tell her whatever she wants to know in that moment.

"It's fine."

"You sure?"

He smiles at her carefulness,"Yeah, I'm sure." He lets out a breath before meeting her gaze again.

"My mother passed away recently, so I moved in with my long lost father. I'm from Fleabottom," He pauses to gauge her reaction and is pleased he doesn't find the usual look of disgust that swims in peoples eyes at the mention of Fleabottom,"But my father lives here, in the capital. So, he took me in."

Arya nodded when he finished his short explanation,"I'm sorry about your mother." While she and her mother had their disagreements and certainly didn't see eye to eye very often, she couldn't imagine not having her around. It stung to even think about and she quickly shakes the thought away.

"Nothing to be sorry about, it was out of anybody's control. I appreciate it though."

Arya only smiles,"Thanks for telling me."

"Thanks for asking." They both couldn't seem to understand why they were so drawn to one another, or what made them want to keep talking as much as they do, but neither of them thinks they're going to fight it. 

Arya, for all the time she's lived in King's Landing, only ever kept close to her siblings, the Reed's and a few of her classmates. That being said, it had never been this effortless to make friends, this uncomplicated to keep a conversation going. She never planned where her conversations went, always opting for going with the flow, however most of them always reached a dead end. But now, speaking to Gendry, it seemed like there were no dead ends with him, only endless possibilities.

Apart from Hot Pie and Lommy (who seemed to be really quite taken with Gendry), Arya was the first real friend he made. While the former two still counted, he couldn't help but to have felt sort of accomplished in how much he was interacting and actually speaking to someone, and an unbelievably beautiful girl no less. If only his mother could see him.

"You know, it's nice to finally meet someone else that's not from the capital." The pleasant sound of her voice drags him away from his thoughts.

"You're not from King's Landing?" He asks, slightly elated that he might not be the only outsider.

"Gods, no. I'm from Winterfell." Her voice is proud when she says it and it makes Winterfell sound like heavens on earth.

"Winterfell? That's all the way in the North."

"Yes, it is. And I miss it everyday." She speaks, full of love and warmth and he finds himself wanting to know every single thing about her.

"How'd a northerner such as yourself end up so far off in the south?" He teases.

"My dad had a job transfer when I was 12. So my whole family and I moved up south to be with him. We travel as a pack." She speaks fondly and his heart flutters at the sudden realization of how much easier living in King's Landing and going to KL Prep was going to be if it meant he got to be friends with Arya.

"How many of you are there if you 'travel as a pack'?" 

She looks at him and almost laughs at the question,"To you? Probably too many. It's my parents, my two older brothers Robb and Jon, my older sister Sansa, and my two baby brothers Bran and Rickon."

The more names she said the more his eyes grew and it's always the reaction she gets when people ask her how many siblings she has. She doesn't think she'll ever get tired of it.

"A real wolf pack then." He jokes and she beams before continuing.

"Robb and Jon are at university though, but they visit home a lot since they still go to school here in the capital. Sansa's a senior here though, so assuming you're a senior, you've probably already had class with her. Are you a senior?" 

At his nod she continues,"Sick. I'm a junior. Bran's a sophomore and Rickon's still in middle school." The affection in her voice speaking about her family makes his heart jerk and his mind spiral into memories of him and his mother.

"Sounds like you love them a lot."

"I do."She smiles at him and he can't help but return it.

The door opens and Mr.Dondarrion walks in,"Just checking in on you two." His gaze turns to Mr.Pycelle at the front who was just sleeping at this point, upper body half laying across the desk. Mr.Dondarrion shakes his head and smiles at Arya who only rolls her eyes and laughs.

"Making sure you're both bored out of your minds as we've intended." He gestures towards Mr.Pycelle's sleeping form.

"We haven't died of boredom yet." Arya smiles Gendry's way and he feels his cheeks redden.

"No, no. We can't have you dying on us, Ms.Stark. It'd be a mess of a lawsuit and there'd be absolutely no way to bring you back to life." He japes.

"I'm sure you'd find away, Mr.Dondarrion. You and Mr.Myr." She smiles and he shakes his head in laughter. She turns her attention back to doodling in her book.

"And you, Mr.Waters? How're you finding things? How was your first day of classes?"

Gendry looks between Arya and Mr.Dondarrion ,"Up until detention, my day was pretty shi-"he pauses at the warning look on Mr.Dondarrion's face and the amusement in Arya's eyes, whose attention was no longer on her doodles but on the boy to her left. He decides he'll bite the bullet,"Up until detention,"He smiles at Arya,"It was pretty shit."

Mr.Dondarrion lets out a sigh,"I trust tomorrow will be the same then, seeing as you've just earned yourself another detention." He eyes Gendry, who doesn't seem all that bothered by his new after school plans tomorrow. He smiles at the pair of them,"Forty minutes left. See you each tomorrow. Ms.Stark, you know the drill-" He gestures once more to Mr.Pycelle,"-wake him up before you each leave."

Arya nods in understanding,"You got it."

"Also, Mr.Waters, the school bookstore closes in an hour, be sure to get the school uniform before you leave today." 

Gendry nods in understanding and he nods back before leaving Arya and Gendry to themselves.

"This place has a bookstore?" Gendry asks in disbelief and Arya laughs before nodding her head.

"Way too posh for their own good I'm afraid." 

He can't help but agree wholeheartedly with her.

"He likes you." Arya says while continuing to doodle a wolf in her notebook.

"What?" His confusion making itself comfortable on his features.

"Mr.Dondarrion. He likes you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because we actually have 70 minutes left in detention and he's letting you out early." Arya says pointedly.

"He's letting you out early too." Gendry counters back.

Arya rolls her eyes,"He always lets me out early."

"Is it cause you two are so chummy?" He teases.

Arya snorts,"Oh yeah. Mr.Dondarrion and I go way back. We're the best of mates. Thick as thieves."

"I'd sure hope so if you're counting on him to bring you back to life." They both begin to laugh at that.

"What was that even about, anyway?" Gendry says once both of their laughter subsided.

She looks at him and leans in as if it were a secret nobody else could know despite them being the only ones in detention,"Back in the day, and I'm talking way back," She draws out the a in way and he rolls his eyes,"he was in a band with our choir teacher, Mr.Myr called 'The Resurrection'." She tries her very hardest to say it seriously but only ends up in a fit of giggles which might be contagious.

"You're lying." Gendry says, mouth hanging open, eyes wide. A laugh escapes him while Arya shakes her head,"Not at all."

After their laughter dies down Arya speaks again,"They're not that bad."

"Who's not that bad?"

"The Resurrection-"She says it in a funny voice and he feels his lips quirk up. He really hadn't been expecting to smile so much today, or at all for that matter. He blames it all on her.

"They're not that bad." She continues, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Noted."

"Definitely no 'Nirvana' though."

Gendry thinks he hears his heart beat in his ears and he feels warm all over.

"Nirvana?"

Arya looks at Gendry funnily,"Yeah, Nirvana. Only the greatest grunge, alternative rock band that ever graced our less than worthy ears?"

Gendry can only seem to find it in himself to nod before he finds his voice,"Yeah, Nirvana. I know them. They're actually one of my favorites."

Arya dramatically heaves out a breath,"Thank gods. I was beginning to worry that we couldn't be friends for a minute there."

Gendry smiles at her,"We're friends then?"

"I suppose. I guess we just have to wait and see how long it takes you to drive me up a wall." He doesn't know why when she smiles at him this time it knocks the wind out of him.

"Sound good to you?" Her smile fades a little and just sits as a smirk on her face, grey eyes all silver and sterling.

He nods his head,"enormously."

* * *

After detention ends(much too soon in his opinion) and he walks Arya out of the building, he takes note of the big SUV waiting to pick her up and he walks back inside towards the map of the school and after locating where in the building it was, he heads towards the school bookstore, 20 minutes left till close.

He finds Lommy, eyes a little glazed over and mind surely drifted off in a daydream. His eyes cut to the door and immediately they brighten,"Gendry!"

He hears something fall behind him and sees someone shuffle forward. Hot Pie.

They're both absolutely beaming. Gendry thinks he likes his choices in friends with the more the day went one. He also thinks, despite his total disregard for any and everyone else in King's Landing Prep, his mother would be proud.

"You guys work here?" Gendry questions, looking between the two.

They nod a little embarassed,"Mr.Martell usually runs the book store, but after Lommy dropped mentos in my bottle of soda during one of his lessons, we've been working here two days a week, until next month." Hot Pie glares at Lommy who holds his arms up innocently from where he stood across the room.

"What are you doing here?" Lommy asks, walking over and abandoning his position by the register to stand by Hot Pie in front of Gendry. Gendry looked at them carefully. They really were a pair, weren't they?

"Had detention," he gestures towards his outfit,"and came to get the uniform to 'avoid' more dress code violations."

Lommy nods in understanding and Hot Pie's mood deflates,"you mean no more cool leather jacket?"

Gendry almost laughs at how dejected he sounds,"No, no. I'm still going to wear my leather jacket. There aren't enough pink slips in the world to make me stop wearing this." And it was true. His leather jacket was the first thing he ever bought for himself, after working tirelessly at his local auto shop in Fleabottom. He wanted to buy his mother a necklace for her birthday and earned more than enough between the end of the school year to the end of summer, last summer, and with the surplus, his mother convinced him to buy something nice for himself as well.

Hot Pie's face perked up at that, glad the uniform wasn't making a dent in his cool new friend's style.

Gendry smiles at them and their faces go slack with shock.

"What?" Gendry asks, his mind entirely muddled by what he could have possibly done for them to be staring at him like two wide eyed idiots.

"Nothing. Just, we haven't seen you smile before." Lommy answers.

"We didn't really think it was possible. You've been scowling all day." Hot Pie responds, promptly earning him and Lommy a scowl from Gendry.

"I do not scowl."

Lommy and Hot Pie only look at each other before returning to their previous tasks, Hot Pie refilling the shelves with pens and pencils, and Lommy by the uniforms.

"You said you needed a uniform?"

* * *

His whole train ride home, Gendry can't wipe the grin off his face every time he thought of detention. From how lively and alluring her eyes were, to how she laughed whenever she teased him about his aversion to cheerleaders. Arya Stark had him absolutely captivated and he was happy to find a friend in her.

He had anticipated for his first day to be nothing short of terrible. He had anticipated to hate every single person in that building. He had anticipated hating King's Landing more than ever.

Instead, he found a reason to hate King's Landing a little less.

When he gets to the house (he still hasn't entirely adjusted to calling it home yet) he heads straight to his room, dropping his bag by his desk and draping his leather jacket over the chair, and changing into much more comfortable clothes before settling himself at his desk, opening the laptop Robert had gifted him a few weeks ago.

He plays some music while he scrolls through the seemingly endless amount of emails KL Prep had already managed to send him. Various along the lines of:

'Welcome to King's Landing Preparatory High School! Go, Stags! Go!" (this one earned an eye roll)

'Do you have school spirit? Try out for the KL Stags football team, next week only!' (this one earned a scoff)

'New! KL Prep boxing classes and start up boxing team! See Coach Clegane for more details.' (His lips quirked up in a small smile)

and even one with the subject title 'How to make sure your school uniform is hip enough for you!' (he snorted at this one).

He shakes his head and closes his emails when there's a knock on the door. Only after he pauses his music and turns in his chair does he say "Come in."

It's 6 in the evening and while he might not know about the stress that accompanies being a CEO in charge of several properties and businesses, he thinks Robert Baratheon looks a little too tired and worn down for this early in the night. He still has his same cheery smile though.

"Hey there, Gendry."

Gendry nods in acknowledgement,"Hey Robert."

Robert clears his throat before looking around the room,"See you've managed to set it up to your liking already and got yourself settled then?" 

Gendry just glances around the room. At the dresser across the room that has picture frames on top with pictures of his life in Fleabottom, of his mother and him. He looks at the posters above his desk (it feels strange to say _his _desk. He's never had his own desk before), the television across from the bed that Robert had the movers put in, the night stand on the side of his bed with the letters from his mother to him. He looks at the windows over looking the city, his book bag on the floor and Robert Baratheon by the door.

"Just about, yeah." Although he's not sure he'll ever feel settled. Not yet at least.

Robert nods once more,"Well, just wanted to let you know the cooks have almost finished getting dinner ready. My brothers will be joining us. You remember meeting them a few weeks ago, right?" Robert attempts at sounding excited, although even he doesn't sound too pleased about having dinner with his brothers, and it only unnerves Gendry at the prospect of having dinner with his uncles. _Uncles, he has uncles. _

Renly was nice enough, always trying to lighten the mood and offer up a story to try and relate. Stannis though. He figured if a migraine were to ever take human form it would be that of Stannis Baratheon's. The man was miserable.

"Can't wait." Gendry strives for elation and ends up with flatness. Robert almost laughs at how uninterested his _son _looks by this all.

He lingers for a bit longer before he smiles at Gendry again, "Gendry, we should-"

"Don't." Now was not the time. He sees Robert become visibly disappointed,"Not yet anyways. Give it time."

Robert nods and leaves his room and Gendry to his thoughts.

* * *

Dinner with his uncles goes exactly as he expected it would, with Renly being way too excited at the mention of Gendry going to school where he went growing up and Stannis reprimanding him for not having his uniform on the first day. 

Robert also manages to surprise him a few times over the course of dinner with the other Baratheon men.

The first, when he defends him from Stannis criticizing how unkempt and outgrown his hair was and Robert responding if Stannis had it his way, they'd all have eggheads like him.

The second, when they both reach for salt to put on their beans, earning mutual looks of distaste from Renly and Stannis.

And the third, when Robert asked him if he was interested in any of the extra curricular activities at school, he mentioned a small interest in boxing, earning a loud groan of disapproval from Stannis. It prompted Renly to glare at his older brother and Robert to narrows his eyes at Stannis and then turn to smile Gendry's way,"Join them! Maybe we could team up and kick Stannis' arse together." 

This earned a laugh from Gendry that surprised Robert and Renly and left Stannis with a neutral face.

So maybe dinner hadn't gone exactly as he had expected.

No.

It had gone a little better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very late to the game, but I've been obsessing over 'Other Friends' from Steven Universe the movie. 
> 
> So if you're wondering why it takes me too long to upload anything it's very likely because I'm dancing around in my room to that one song and that one song only. 
> 
> Also sorry for the veeeeeery slow pace I've set for these first few chapters, but it's just for the first few, I promise. We have to get Gendry settled in and adjusted before we just kick things into full gear, ya feel me?
> 
> Anyways.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!!!


	3. They Can't All Be That Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gendry is less than impressed with wearing his school uniform, KL prep is another planet and maybe not all cheerleaders are as bad as he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this took me a million years :’( but I was just figuring out the trajectory of this story(and still am but I’m overall liking how I'm following the setup in great deal to oryss_ on twitter) and dealing with midterms but can say now that my updates won’t be as infrequent but there will be stretches, if that’s okay :) <3

He hates it. He absolutely hates this godsdamn school uniform. He tries to think on the bright side, like how he has gym today, so he'll at the very least get to wear something far more comfortable in the middle of the day, but his eyes make contact with his reflection in the mirror and he hates this damn black and yellow tie, black and yellow blazer, black and yellow everything. Was he a fucking bumblebee?

He tears his gaze away from the mirror at the knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in."

Robert pokes his head in and smiles at Gendry genuinely.

Gendry finds his own smiling falling on his face only slightly easier than normal, it still felt strange though. It definitely doesn't go unnoticed by Robert and he thinks maybe Gemma had been right after all, thank the seven.

"Davos should be here in a bit. Are you ready?"

Gendry steals another glance at his reflection, scowls at his uniform, then turns back to Robert,"Not in the slightest."

* * *

Davos is nice, Gendry decides. He had known it yesterday, when he met him the first time and it wasn't a conclusion he drew with any difficulty, no. It was plain to see. He was kind and warm and even though Gendry wasn't entirely too sure why, he reminded him a little bit of back home.

So he rather enjoys the fact that he gets to spend a portion of his mornings and afternoons with the man.

Where he figures rich kids would sit in the back seat of their rich parents drivers cars, he accompanies Davos in the front, sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

"Feeling any better than yesterday, lad?" Davos speaks and Gendry, where he would normally struggle on this end, finds himself offering him a smile.

"A little. Today can't be any harder than yesterday now can it?"

Davos smiles briefly at Gendry before turning his eyes back on the road in front of them.

"Did you go to King's Landing Prep when you were younger, Davos?"

He had wondered briefly yesterday after Davos had dropped him off and stayed parked outside until he saw for certain Gendry enter the school building.

Davos lets out a hearty laugh,"Me? No. Didn't even know this place existed when I was younger. I'm from a different part of King's Landing anyway."

Gendry looked at him curiously,"Really?"

Davos nods, his eyes still trained on the road,"Aye, lad. I'm from Gin Alley. It's in-"

"Flea Bottom."

Davos quickly shoots Gendry a surprised smile,"Yeah. How'd you know?"

Gendry shakes his head in disbelief and finds himself smiling,"I'm from Flea Bottom too."

Davos' smile only grows wider as he looks ahead and keeps driving and Gendry's features can't help but to follow in suit.

Of course Davos reminded him of home, how could he not? And how had he not heard it before in his thick and gruff Flea Bottom accent?

Gendry only averts his eyes upwards in slight astonishment and he feels warm. How his mother had known this would be good for him was entirely beyond Gendry, but she knew all the same.

Maybe he had judged King's Landing too quickly. Between Lommy and Hot Pie doing their best to help him sort himself out, Robert, Renly and Stannis trying to make him feel at home and like a Baratheon, Davos sharing the same roots with him and Arya being Arya and leaving him purely and utterly fascinated, he found King's Landing had a lot more to offer than it seemed.

* * *

His plan for his second day of school is simple. Or at least at first it seems that way before he sets foot into King's Landing Prep after saying goodbye to Davos.

He was just going to head straight to his locker, put his books away and then head straight to his first class of the day and maybe afterwards he would try to find Hot Pie and Lommy, but that hadn't seemed entirely realistic and he couldn't truly count on it with how massive the student body suddenly seemed in comparison to yesterday and how well he still didn't know his way around. 

Simplicity wasn't an option today. Simplicity was a dream just slightly out of reach. 

Today, a much more stark contrast to yesterday, was all about rolling with the punches. Gendry didn't like rolling with the punches. He didn't like surprises and not knowing. He liked familiarity, routine and a sense of order. He sense his first few days were going to be way far off from all that he craved, but he figures it could be worse. He could _not _know Lommy and Hot Pie and Arya.

If he's lucky, he'll see at least 2 of them today. 

Getting to his locker is less of a hassle this time. Nobody's standing in his way and gawking at the new kid. Well, at least not as much as yesterday. And he's not wearing any shirts deemed too inappropriate by the lead singer of 'The Resurrection'.

No, he's in his uniform (yellow black tie and all) with his jacket (he had promised Hot Pie, hadn't he?) and he's avoiding the gaze's of the football players. It's relatively easy to avoid them when they look at him from afar. What could they possibly do to him when they're standing all the way on the other side of the hallway?

It's not so easy, he soon finds, to avoid them when their blonde preppy quarterback who he shares one class with saunters his way up to Gendry's locker and stands there smiling at him like a happy and harmless puppy. 

Gendry sets his history textbook down in his locker, closes his eyes and lets out a sigh before turning to meet the boys gaze. He immediately has to shoot his eyes downward. He easily has at least one foot over this guy.

"Can I help you?"

He just smiles some more at Gendry,"Yeah, you can actually. I'm Ned. Ned Dayne. We have Braavosi Literature together."

Gendry decides that this _Ned Dayne _was way too chipper for 8:15 in the godsdamn morning,"How thrilling." He replies flatly.

Ned remains unaffected and continues to speak,"How are you liking King's Landing Prep so far?"

Gendry doesn't know how to answer. While on one hand, he absolutely detests the idea of going to a school that was the literal stereotype of a high school movie with football players, homecomings and cheerleaders, he also has Hot Pie and Lommy on the other hand. His ultimate deciding factor that he might like King's Landing is Arya. If this school didn't have Arya, it would have a lot less going on for it.

"It's alright."

Ned nods,"Interested in any sports?"

Gendry really doesn't consider himself a people person and in any given moment would just like to tell any and everyone to fuck off but he promised his mother he'd seize the day, so seize it he will.

"That new boxing team and those new boxing classes seem pretty decent for a place this shiny."

Ned shakes his head immediately,"No, no no. Coach Clegane is a _nightmare. _He just barks all these crazy instructions and slightly insulting remarks at all his boxers. No, you need something you were built for," Ned leans closer to Gendry, who only leans away,"You need _football._"

Gendry doesn't know if he should laugh or roll his eyes, but the ring of the bells signalling the start of class does the talking for him.

"I'm good," he slams his locker shut,"nice meeting you Ned." Although it wasn't nice, not really. It was nice meeting Arya. It was alright meeting Hot Pie and Lommy. But meeting Ned Dayne was just okay. 

He doesn't wait for Ned to respond and swiftly heads to his AP Bio class. 

What a day this was shaping up to be and he hasn't even gotten through first period yet.

* * *

He gets to AP Bio on time today, earning him a small nod of approval from Mr.Pycelle and he goes to sit in one of the seats in the back all over again, like yesterday.

He figures today will be slightly different than yesterday if only for the fact that he knows more today than he did yesterday.

Most of the seats in class were already taken except for the few around him. It makes sense, he figures. In a school like this, everybody wants to sit in the front where they can either escape the quickest, take notes and see the board better, or just suck up to the teacher.

As class starts, he drowns out most of what's happening around him, from whispers between students about parties happening over the weekend, to class announcements of the pep rally going on later that night after school and whatever Mr.Pycelle was saying about the mitochondria. He already knew it was the powerhouse of the cell as he's certain everybody else in Westeros did, so frankly, he did not care.

He hears the door to the classroom open but he can't be bothered to look up from his notebook.

"Ms.Stark, what brings you to my class 15 minutes past starting time, hm?"

Gendry swears his head had never snapped up quicker as the hope in his chest increases and hammers at an accelerating rate. However he is not met with the sight he expects. No brown hair half up half down curling at the ends, no sparkling grey eyes and no black combat boots. No. He's met with the exact opposite. Long, flowing auburn hair and deep blue eyes. _Her sister._ If Arya was on one end of the Stark spectrum, then her sister was all the way on the other. He tries to ignore the constriction in his chest at the fresh wave of slight disappointment. 

Arya had told him briefly about her sister, _Sansa. _Maybe he'd be lucky enough and make another friend today.

"Sorry Mr.Pycelle. My morning meeting with the dance committee ran over time. I have a late pass." She hands it to him and he nods. Her eyes scan the classroom briefly and upon seeing seats available only in the back, she walks over and sits by him.

After getting herself settled and catching up on the few notes she missed, Mr.Pycelle assigns them to work in pairs with the people next to them going over the functions of the cell. Wasn't this _AP _Bio?

Gendry's not sure why he's suddenly terrified. Maybe it was the idea of working with anybody, after all, he wasn't a fan of group projects or anything of the sort mostly because he always had to carry all the weight. 

Sansa turns to him and smiles. It's warm and welcoming and maybe he's not that scared. 

"I don't think we've met before, I'm Sansa."

He nods and tries his best at an easy smile but stops himself before it looks too forced,"We haven't. I'm Gendry."

He notices how her eyes light up a little when he says his name and he wonders why but then quickly remembers he's the new kid. Of course people are going to be excited.

"Gendry. Yeah, I've heard about you-"

He nods,"Yeah, new kid and everything-"

"Arya could not stop talking about you at dinner last night." They talk over each other and pause, both looking rather sheepish.

He feels his eyes widen and his cheeks feel hot, no doubt tinged with pink.

"Arya?" His voice is a little breathy.

Sansa laughs and nods,"Yeah, you know, Arya. My sister. You met her in detention yesterday? I swear that girl lives there, don't know how she manages time for everything else she does at school," Sansa pauses, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed,"Unless of course you are an entirely different Gendry than the one she was raving about, in which case I am so sorry."

Gendry laughs and feels his smile fall naturally. She _raved _about him,"No I'm him, he's me, I'm Gendry."

Sansa's eyes brighten and she nods, completely satisfied,"Well, I'm glad she finally found a friend that meets her standards. Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

He nods and they start their worksheet and he thinks he likes today a hells of a whole lot better than yesterday.

* * *

History and Math drag on painfully slow but he figures he could put up with it if it means avoiding talking to anybody who only meant to gawk at him like he was some type of exhibit at a museum. 

Braavosi literature goes by in a flash and he doesn't miss but tries his very best to avoid all the hopeful glances he receives from Ned Dayne during class and even stuffs the note he had managed to pass to him all the way down his bag, opting to worry about it later or never, hopefully_ never._

Mr.H'ghar at the end of class assigns them readings for the weekend to come and suggests but doesn't enforce working through them with a partner to see what one person might miss and before Ned Dayne has the chance to ask him to partner up, he's up and ready to leave the class at the ring of the bells.

You could call him crazy, but he just had a feeling Ned Dayne would talk less about the readings with him and more about football and all of its merits and why Gendry was perfect for their team and for defense. 

Gendry didn't need that but more importantly he did not _want _it. 

He makes it to the cafeteria and sees Lommy and Hot Pie sitting where they had the previous day and he feels slightly calmer. He had friends, real friends, and it had only been a day and a half. 

He heads over to their table and drops his stuff down. Lommy and Hot Pie beam at Gendry and despite what they had said about him and his scowls yesterday, he smiles back.

"How's your second day of school goi- oh my gods, oh my gods. Why on earth is Arya Stark walking towards our table?" Hot Pie says hysterically and Lommy snorts and rolls his eyes.

Gendry only looks at them in confusion before turning to look behind him, and surely enough, Arya was strutting her way to their table, flyers in hand. Upon her eyes landing on his own, she sends him a wide smile and he doesn't even resist smiling back.

"Why is she smiling at you? Gendry, why is Arya Stark smiling at you?" Hot Pie's nerves are ever clear in his voice and Lommy doesn't even try to hide his laughter.

Arya arrives at their table and sends Lommy and Hot Pie a small smile,"Hey guys."

Lommy, who had been perfectly okay with rolling his eyes at Hot Pie earlier, suddenly becomes increasingly aware of his own nerves and his eyes widen,"H-hey Arya. What brings you here?" 

Gendry really can't understand what's got them so nervous and wide eyed but he'd be lying if he said Arya didn't evoke the same reaction out of him, he was just better at hiding it.

Arya smiles a little more,"Not much, just came to hand out flyers for the pep rally tonight. You guys gonna be there?" 

Hot Pie and Lommy nod enthusiastically,"Of course!"

Gendry snorts at them and laughs some more, which causes Arya to turn her gaze on him.

She shoots him a smirk"What about you?"

Gendry's eyes widen,"What _about _me?"

Arya rolls her eyes,"Are _you _going to the pep rally tonight?"

Gendry shakes his head,"Pep rally's aren't really my th-"

"He'll be there!" Hot Pie cuts him off and Gendry thinks he knows what they meant when they said he scowled too much.

"What? No I-"

"Yes you will." Lommy says defiantly.

Gendry looks back at Arya, who's watching with amusement,"I have detention." He says weakly.

"Detention ends at 5. Pep rally's not till 7. I'll see you there." She winks, before she leaves three flyers on the table and walks away.

Gendry turns to glare at Lommy and Hot Pie, who seemed just as ready to glare back.

"News flash, Gendry. When _the _Arya Stark asks you to go to the pep rally, you go to the pep rally!" Lommy says, Hot Pie nodding his head in agreement.

Gendry just looks at them before his shoulders slump and he sighs,"But, but I don't _like _pep rally's. They're not my scene. I definitely didn't expect them to be her scene."

Gendry doesn't think he can feel too disappointed though. How could he feel disappointed at the prospect of spending more time with Arya and the rest of his new friends?

"Well that doesn't exactly matter now, does it? And besides, we're going to be there!" Hot Pie says happily, before confusion works its way to his face all over again.

"How do you know Arya by the way?"

"Met her in detention. Why?" Gendry's not sure what the big deal is. Arya was cool, funny, smart, kind and had exceptionally good taste in music.

"Nothing, just, well I mean it's Arya Stark. She's like royalty." 

Gendry still hadn't known much about Arya, or about the weight that came with the last name Stark, but having seen her walk away with all the command the world has to offer and how certain she sounds when she speaks, he couldn't find it in himself to disagree with her being like royalty. She had all the prowess of a queen.

* * *

He likes gym class, he decides. Gym class is where he meets Coach Clegane of the boxing team and Coach Tarth of the football team. He thinks she might be the only redeeming quality about the football team. 

Coach Tarth is absolutely riveting, he thinks. While he's not truly a fan of football, she speaks of it with such passion and conviction it makes it hard not to want to listen, so he does. She seems very adamant and firm in her beliefs that he could truly excel on the football team and with try outs right around the corner, he should give it a shot but Gendry can't be swayed.

Coach Clegane on the other hand, much like Ned Dayne had said, did bark out harsh remarks to his students, but it was only to push them further and help them see more clearly where they needed to "get their bloody shit together" as he had so eloquently put it.

He looks at the pair of them and doesn't entirely understand how two people so vastly different from one another ended up teaching a gym class together and coaching two of the sports teams along side one another, but he decides not to question it. Surely the school knew what they were doing.

At the end of gym and what he considers to be an incredibly rigorous work out for the high school standard, he lingers behind to speak to Coach Clegane.

"What do you want, Waters? It's Waters, isn't it?"

Gendry nods at him before speaking,"I just wanted to speak to you about the boxing classes and boxing team you were in charge of."

Coach Clegane grunts in response before nodding his head,"What about them? You want to try out or something?"

"Yeah, if that's fine."

"If that's fine? You bloody ninny, it's fine. If you're going to be one of my boxers, you need to be firm in what you say."

Gendry just nods,"Right. Okay, well, when am I going to try out then?"

"When _are _you going to? Or when can you?"

Gendry shakes his head,"When am I going to."

He thinks he sees Coach Clegane smirk a little at that before his face falls flat again,"tomorrow, after school."

Gendry nods his head,"I'll be there." 

Coach Clegane rolls his eyes,"Whatever. Now get the hells out of my gym."

* * *

He texts Robert in between his last two classes, hoping for the conversation to last no more than maybe a few minutes.

**Gendry: ** _Hey Robert. Just wanted to let you know I have detention again today for saying a few choice words to Mr.Dondarrion yesterday during my first detention. And I'm also going to go the pep rally tonight. Not sure when it ends, but it starts at 7._

Gendry waits for Robert to respond while he takes notes and pulls his phone back out when he feels it buzz in his pocket.

**Robert: ** _Atta boy! Glad to see you're fitting right in. Offer that place some proper Baratheon school spirit now, you hear me? As for when it ends, just call Davos whenever you're ready to leave and he'll pick you up. I'll forward you his number. Enjoy! See you later son._

_P.S.- Go, Stags! Go!_

Gendry snickers lightly at Roberts message, smiles to himself and shakes his head. That man was something else entirely. He didn't think he'd be able to escape the pep and cheer and undeniable school pride King's Landing seemed to be serving everywhere on a silver platter. He decides he'll just have to learn to live with it.

* * *

He heads to his locker, much like yesterday and takes his phone and headphones and even a notebook to doodle in (Arya had left him inspired yesterday with her messily drawn wolves and flowers). 

He's ready for today he thinks. Ready for a few short hours in detention by himself with a sleepy Mr.Pycelle and just his thoughts, Nirvana on loop and doodles drawn a little messily.

He might be ready for the pep rally. It's going to be him and Lommy and Hot Pie. And Arya. Who made Lommy and Hot Pie nervous. He doesn't blame them. She makes him nervous too, so maybe it was universal.

He rounds the corner and opens the door and promptly decides he's not ready for detention with someone else however, a lot like yesterday. But today isn't yesterday, not at all. 

Today he has detention with one of _them. _With a _cheerleader. _

His eyes are met with white sneakers, yellow and black pom poms at her feet and a yellow cheer-leading uniform. He doesn't see the girls face with it being covered by her hair but he doesn't really care. He rolls his eyes at the prospect of spending over an hour by himself in the same room as a cheerleader.

He turns around to close the door and when he turns back around, she's lifting her head from her book, _wait he knows that book, _sweeping her hair from her face and turning to meet his eyes and all over again, the wind is knocked out of him.

It wasn't a cheerleader, or it was, but it wasn't just any cheerleader. It was _her, _it was _Arya. _

She smirks at him again, a lot like yesterday, a lot like today, except not at all. 

Yesterday she didn't have on a cheer-leading uniform, she certainly wasn't wearing one today at lunch. He can't resist his shock, his wide eyes or even his parted lips. He definitely can't fight how much his pulse has quickened in the last sixty seconds or how his palms suddenly feel very clammy and his mind is racing more right now in this moment than it had all day in any one of his classes.

Mr.Pycelle was already passed out at the front desk, but he doesn't really care. How could he care when Arya Stark was a cheerleader?

He walks further into the classroom and sets his things down before sitting next to her and turning to look at her and he knows she is just eating up every last second of this.

She leans down to grab the pom poms by her feet and gives them each a little shake.

"Rah rah." Is all she says before she throws her head back in laughter.

He's in too much disbelief to not join in on her laughter because of course she had been laughing at him yesterday in detention when he was stating his profound distaste for cheer-leading, of course she had because she _was- _she _is _a cheerleader and he thinks its okay to be wrong sometimes, because if Arya Stark was a cheerleader then he figures they can't all be _that _bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How’re we liking this, fam? 
> 
> As always, you have my love :)
> 
> Peace and love,  
Ohnoshefell


	4. You Could Say That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SOOOOO sorry it took me a million years, but here you are :) Enjoy :)

You can't exactly blame him for thinking he knew everything there was to know about cheerleaders. Growing up, he'd spend time at the community boys and girls center after school while his mother waited tables at the only diner in Flea Bottom, and all they played on the one television the rec center had to offer was 'Bring It On' on a constant loop.

While the movie itself did a great job at breaking down the normative cheerleader type he thinks most people were conditioned into seeing, it still played very well into the fact that most cheerleaders only dealt with superficial struggles, that they'd never have anything real to worry about, nothing that wasn't about cheer leading at the very least. They cared about how they looked and about how the world saw them, whatever people said about them.

It wasn't hard for his beliefs in that to become completely solidified when they made a couple thousand sequels to that movie, all firming the cold hard 'truth' that cheerleaders? They were completely and totally plastic.

He was entirely certain he had them down to a t.

Being at Kings Landing Prep was no different. Sure, he hadn't gone out of his way to speak to any of the cheerleaders, but why would he? They all seemed perfectly content living in their own little bubbles, shooting football players and boys like Ned Dayne smiles. A few of them shot him some smiles but it wasn't as if they had actually meant it. 

What cheerleader would actually be interested in looking at him that way?

But now he's starting to realize he might have to add cheerleaders onto the list of all the things he's been wrong about so far. All the things concerning Kings Landing at the very least.

"You're a cheerleader then?" He asks her after a minute and she just smiles at him.

"No, I'm wearing this for fun." She responds dryly and he rolls his eyes.

"Glad to see this in no way affects your personality."

Arya snorts before looking him up and down, taking in the fact that Gendry was in school uniform.

"I see you've succumbed to the big man and the higher power that is school uniform." 

"What, you didn't notice at lunch?" He shoots back.

"Nah, I was a little too busy laughing at you for trying to weasel your way out of today's pep rally."

His eyes widen a little at that, "I wasn't- I mean that's not-"

"So you weren't talking about pep rally's not being your scene? Or using detention as an excuse to not go?" Arya says with round eyes and a funny voice that normally would pull a laugh from Gendry if he wasn't so worried that he offended Arya.

"No, I was. I just- look I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know you were a cheerleader and all that stuff I said, just, I'm sorry okay?" 

Arya stares at him a bit before her round eyes crinkle up in laughter while she shakes her head at him and Gendry's not sure if he's ever been this confused before a day in his life.

"What? What's so funny?" 

All his concerned questioning does is make her laugh more before she settles down at the swirl of blue going round and round in his eyes.

"I was only teasing is what's funny. It's okay, what you said about cheerleaders. It's fine, I used to think all that too until I actually became one," She smiles at his hesitance and continues, "Apology accepted though."

Gendry settles himself a bit, glad that his heart rate and these last few minutes in detention wouldn't be as detrimental to his emotional well being.

He turns to Arya, who was putting her pom poms back down and by her feet before looking up from feeling his gaze on her.

She sits up completely, rests her arms on the desk in front of her, before propping one up and laying her cheek in her hand, turning to smile at Gendry, "Yes?"

He looks thoughtful for a moment, unsure of how to broach the topic but he thinks if she's the one who brought it up then surely it won't matter if he asks.

"You said you used to think everything that I thought about cheerleaders until you became one," He waits for her to agree and at her nod he continues, "What changed?"

"Back in Winterfell, I was on a dance team and when we moved here they didn't have one-"

"This bloody hellshole has everything." He cuts off in disbelief and Arya stares on, amused.

"I know right. That's what I said and I even petitioned for the formation of one and it almost got there, but then the board of extra curricular activities told me that I'd have to get people to actually want to join my dance team. Unfortunately for freshman year me, they were all just a little too into cheer-leading so nobody gave my sign up sheet a second glance."

Gendry deflates a little at that, "That sucks." 

Arya nods in agreement, "It did at the time. But hey, if you can't beat em join em, right?" 

He smiles a little at that, "Yeah," She smiles back, "So you joined the cheer team?"

"Yes I did. It's not that bad, not bad at all actually. I mean, once you get over the whole air of it, which you're still getting through."

He scoffs at that, "Oh, there's no getting through, I'm already there. Over it, completely."

Arya laughs and he likes it a little more every time, "Oh really? Is that so?"

He nods in affirmation, "Absolutely. Why else do you think I'm going to your pep rally tonight?"

"It's not my pep rally."

Gendry rolls his eyes, "Whatever, you know what I mean. The point is I'm going."

Arya smirks at him, "You kind of have no choice, pal."

If this was what not having a choice felt like for Gendry, then he's certain he'd be fine if nothing were ever up to him. He'd be perfectly fine.

* * *

The rest of detention finds him and Arya seeing who could doodle Mr.Pycelle asleep at the head of the classroom better and which of them could actually land a paper ball on his head (he doodled him better, but as far as aiming paper balls goes, Arya had him beat).

As the time dwindled down, he couldn't exactly understand how the image he had painted of Arya in his mind was still exactly the same, only now it was covered in a yellow skirt with a matching yellow top and pom poms on either side of her. Her smirk was still there, her snark and everything that seemed to draw him in about her was undoubtedly still there.

Arya doesn't seem to bothered by the fact that she had momentarily stunned him, in fact, she was quite pleased. He knew just by reliving their first conversation over again that she had very much been looking forward to it. He thinks he need to reevaluate every single thing he knows, everything he grew up believing in, because with every punch and every hurdle, Kings Landing was showing itself to be not what he expected.

He doesn't think his mother could've prepared him for this. He wonders if this was what she meant about adapting, adjusting and going out to do bigger and better things. 

He made friends, three to be exact. He didn't love Robert but he didn't hate him as much as he did two weeks ago. Having uncles was an experience in and of itself, Stannis Baratheon taking a large part in him not feeling all that miserable for the lack of uncles in his life prior to living with Robert. Davos was kind and they were both from Flea Bottom so that left him feeling grounded and safe.

But everything he thought he knew about the capital that he drove here with him would have been better left behind.

He thinks he might need to get a readjusted and firm grip on reality because it's only been two days and Kings Landing was already driving him out of his mind. 

Arya to the right of him was completely focused on the notes in front of her and he couldn't help but notice the slight movements her arms made while she counted numbers under her breath, like she was reciting something or practicing and then he feels himself turn pink at the stupid thought because of course she was practicing, she's a cheerleader. 

The timer on her phone goes off and she quickly shuts it off before turning to smile at Gendry who didn't turn his gaze away fast enough. Her smile only broadens at that and he's left to wonder once more how she manages to make him smile as much as she does. 

"What're you going to do for the whole hour we've got left till the pep rally?" She asks and he wracks his brain for an answer that makes sense.

"Uh, hadn't really given it much thought, I did only get my after school plans today at lunch." 

Arya's eyes light up a little at his response, " Like you're all that mad about it," She laughs and at his smile she presses on, "I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me."

"Come with you where?" His brows furrow in confusion and she snorts before rolling her eyes.

"To cheer practice," She pauses to go shake Mr.Pycelle awake and then gather her things.

Where Gendry would normally follow in suit, picking up his bag and standing, he feels he's very much glued to his chair, eyes widened and mouth slightly parted.

Arya moves to stand in front of his desk and he wonders how he hadn't noticed before just how good yellow looked on her. He shakes the thought from his mind to stare up at her smirking down at him.

"Cheer practice?" He forces it out and wills himself to maintain eye contact. 

Arya nods and gestures for him to stand up which he does and he's glad that his severe height advantage over her has managed to ground him a little and keep his head from spinning.

"Uh huh. We'd be practicing on the football field and you could sit on the bleachers and get yourself and your friends good seats for the pep rally." 

Gendry isn't so sure why the idea of it all has his heart beat racing or his palms sweating and he's pretty sure his eyes are wide. She wanted him to go to cheer practice with her? Wanted to bring him along so he could bear witness to whatever dances and cheers and flips and splits she was capable of doing? He's not all that sure watching Arya being a cheerleader in full action would be the best thing for his well being at the moment. The thought alone sends him into overdrive and he's not sure why but he thinks he'll worry less about whatever the hells is happening to him later.

"Uh- uh. I, uh-"

"You uh?" Arya cut in, eyes entirely amused and he knew she was enjoying herself a little _too _much.

"Bookstore!" It hit him all too quickly and his mouth was pushing out the words that were left swirling in his mind long after Arya had start messing with him.

"What?"

"Bookstore. I uh, the bookstore. Lommy and Hot Pie."

"These are all words. What about them?"

"I can't go to cheer practice, I have to stop by the bookstore to visit Lommy and Hot Pie."

Arya's eyebrows furrow and her shoulders deflate a little and if it were possible, she looked even shorter than before.

"Oh. Okay, I guess."

She walks forward and exits the classroom, completely expecting Gendry to be following behind her and him doing exactly that.

"But you're still going to the pep rally. No if's, and's, or but's." She turns to him and wags a finger in his direction. He shoots a smile at her and can already feel whatever whirl of tension was just created between them ebb away.

"As m'lady commands." He bows in her direction and she takes the extra steps forward in his direction to shove his shoulder only causing him to laugh.

"Don't call me that. See you in an hour?" He already knows he will and he's certain she does too, but he can hear the nerves in her voice and it sort of calms him and causes a rush of warmth to spread in his chest.

"You bet you will."

At his response, she smiles and turns to walk towards the end of the hall and through the doors leading to the football field all while he watches her go.

He turns to head the bookstore and tries to search all the parts in his brain that might help him make sense of the situation that was being friends with someone like Arya Stark and isn't all the surprised when he doesn't come up with anything. 

He's never been friends with someone like her. He doesn't think he's ever even met anyone like her and that thought alone sends a shiver down his spine.

* * *

The bookstore is pretty much in the same condition it had been in yesterday, with Lommy dozing off at the front counter and Hot Pie seemingly running around everywhere.

Gendry clears his throat and Lommy snaps his head in his direction and whatever tiredness had been in his eyes slip away at the sight of his new friend.

"Hot Pie!" Lommy shouts, prompting Hot Pie to stop filtering through the store dropping school supplies everywhere and instead smile at Gendry and rush over to where he was standing. 

"Hey Gendry!" Hot Pie's excitement was received with warm welcome from Gendry and an eye roll from Lommy.

"How come you never say hey Lommy like that, hmm?" Lommy crosses his arms over his chest as Hot Pie shoots him a look and Gendry stares between the two of them, entirely amused.

"Don't be such a baby."

"Oh that's just great, now you're calling me names."

Gendry walks away from the pair of them while they got into an argument, something he's starting to consider a common occurrence between them.

He walked through the rest of the store and looked at everything they sold, not really having had the chance to do so yesterday as he left right after he got his uniform.

He stopped in a section labeled 'School Spirit!' that seemed to sell KL Prep Stag's merchandise in spades. He picked up a black miniature megaphone that read 'Go Stag's! Go!" in big yellow letters.

"Gonna get that for the pep rally?" Lommy asked from beside him.

Gendry's hand went to his chest as his shoulders seized up, "Seven hells. Don't sneak up on me like that."

Lommy gave him a flat look, "Sorry man. That'll be a buck fifty."

Gendry shot him a look of derision, as if anybody would actually buy a megaphone.

Lommy held his hands up defensively, "Alright, alright! On the house."

Gendry rolled his eyes, "I don't want the megaphone, thanks though."

Hot Pie walked up to stand beside Lommy, "Of course you want the megaphone! How else are you going to cheer Arya on today or show your school spirit?"

At the mention of Arya, Gendry's cheeks reddened and he immediately turned away and started walking to another part of the store, Lommy and Hot Pie hot on his tail.

"What's the matter?" Lommy asked.

"Nothing's the matter."

"No no, something's the matter." Lommy pressed on.

"Why would anything be the matter?" Gendry said flatly, but the waver in his voice betrayed whatever nonchalance he'd been trying to play off.

"Would you both stop saying the matter and Gendry would you just tell us why your face is so red?" Hot Pie cut in. Hot Pie was more authoritative than he looked, but Gendry had a strong feeling it was only wherever Lommy was concerned.

Gendry let a sigh escape at the sight of the pair of them staring at him expectantly before relenting.

"Nothing really is wrong or anything like that it's just-"

"You turned red when Hot Pie mentioned Arya."

"I was getting to that." Gendry glared and Lommy only smiled at him.

"She invited me to her cheer practice today."

Lommy's eyes widened as if that was the last thing he'd been expecting to hear. Honestly, he'd been expecting Gendry to say he might have had a little crush on her which he wouldn't blame him for. It was Arya Stark for crying out loud.

"What?" Lommy's voice rang sharp and disbelieving in Gendry's ears.

"What?" Gendry stared down confused.

"You could be at Arya Stark's cheer practice right now, in this very moment, as we speak, but you're-" Lommy fumbled over his words, "You're not? You're here with me and Hot Pie? Are- Are you an idiot or something?"

"Hey leave Gendry alone, he's not an idiot," Hot Pie turns to face Gendry, "You're not an idiot."

Gendry gives Hot Pie a short smile with raised eyebrows before his mouth is a straight line again, "Thanks Hot Pie."

Lommy only shakes his head in complete confusion, "I don't get you man."

"What do you mean?"

Gendry knew he wasn't the easiest person to read. The only person who knew him inside out was his mother. She always knew what ran through his head whenever he'd glare at his notebook too hard or whenever he'd scowl at their landlord who'd linger behind a little too long whenever he'd pick up the rent. She knew why he'd smile on Wednesday night's watching his favorite television program and why he always used the color green first in all of his sketches. She'd been the only one to actually look at his face whenever he'd have a mask on and smile. So he completely understood Lommy not getting him. He just didn't think it'd be over something like cheer practice.

"I mean how you actually know and have spoken to Arya and how you're both friendly with one another, and she practically invited you personally to the pep rally-"

"She invited all of us."

"-and now she's invited you to her cheer practice but you're here instead."

Gendry looked at Lommy's exasperated expression and didn't fight the laugh that pushed past his lips.

Lommy and Hot Pie stared on entirely shocked. They didn't think they'd get a smile AND a laugh from Gendry two days in a row.

"Arya and I are friends. I'm sure she's not all that bummed about me not going to her cheer practice." 

Lommy just shakes his head some more at Gendry muttering something about him being unbelievable under his breath while Hot Pie just smiled at Gendry.

"I, for one, am quite honored you've chosen to kill an hour with us before the pep rally."

Gendry smiles back at Hot Pie and thinks he's glad he gets to kill an hour with them too.

* * *

The sun had already been hanging low, painting the sky a mix of orange and pink with the further expanse going a smooth purple he knew would soon indicate the arrival of night when he, Lommy and Hot Pie arrived for the pep rally. 

His hour in the bookstore with them had gone by like water and he was thankful to see the rest of tonight zoom past him, hoping to be back in his bed with the comfort of his sketch pads and Nirvana filtering through the speakers of his laptop.

He took a look around him and his friends and noticed that there were still spaces left around him but the rest of the bleachers had been filling in impressively with students and faculty alike and all the way at the bottom he could see coach Clegane and coach Tarth standing by the field, the former rolling his eyes and grunting at whatever teachers walked by him and the latter only shaking her head at his lack of care.

Everybody had seemed to make themselves comfortable on the bleachers and he wondered why pep rally's were such a big deal. What did they do anyway?

"What's the point of all this?" He leaned over to Lommy and found himself speaking louder than he'd normally have to due to everybody else around them making their own noise and conversation.

Lommy sends him a flat look, "To promote "school spirit" or some shit like that." 

Gendry laughs and leans over Lommy to look at Hot Pie further down, who had been waving and smiling at someone down the field.

He turned to look and was met with the sight of Arya waving back at Hot Pie before turning to Gendry.

Her eyes softened a little before she even realized it was happening and she quickly regained her composure and sent him a smile and wave of her pom poms.

He thinks he made the right choice in not going to her cheer practice today because of how much more energized she seemed to look but all the same he shoots her a smile and a gentle wave of his hand.

He felt someone sit down beside him but he was a little too preoccupied with Arya shaking her pom poms and chanting "Let's go KL Prep!" and "Go Stags! Go!" to the students in the bleachers around her.

Once in a while, she'd pause and stick her tongue out at him and he'd do his best to look unfazed while shooting her a smirk.

"I've never seen her take with someone as fast as she's taken with you." He hears from his left and only then realizes that it was Sansa who sat beside him.

He sits back up from his position of leaning forward with elbows on his knees so that he's sitting more side by side with Arya.

He looks at Sansa, who's pointedly staring ahead at her sister getting everyone pumped up with her squad before the pep rally started.

"Really?" He couldn't stop himself from asking but doesn't find that he cares all that much about it.

Sansa shoots him a small smile and looks at him coolly, "Really. I think you're the fastest friend she's ever made. Apart from Meera of course. I wasn't lying before, you know."

Gendry shoots her a confused stare and she laughs, "In AP Bio. When I said she was raving about you. Don't know how you got her to like you so fast, she's a tough nut to crack."

Gendry nods in understanding and doesn't know what to do with the fluttering he feels in his stomach at that. Sansa, for the few short hours he's known her, doesn't seem like someone who'd lie. It made him feel happy to know Arya was as fond of having made a new friend as he was and he wonders if she knew how much it meant to him, if it meant that much to her too.

Gendry smiles at Sansa and turns back to Arya, who had been cheering and dancing all crazy in front of three specific students while they laughed, shook their heads and cheered her on and he hears Sansa snort beside him.

"That little rugrat."

"Who are those three?" He nods his head at the girl with curly hair and the boy in similar appearance beside her, the third boy with soft red curls in a wheelchair.

"Meera, Jojen and Bran." 

"I know two of those names. Bran is-"

"Our brother and the one in the wheelchair." 

Gendry nods in understanding and smiles at Arya so excited and wildly happy around her brother and their friends.

"She did say there were more of you." He comments and Sansa laughs a little loud at that.

"More is an understatement."

Before he had a chance to make a comment on that, Coach Tarth announced the beginning of the pep rally and he looked around and noticed how completely full it had become, with some students still in school uniform and others in more casual clothing, all sporting some form of school merch or school spirit. 

Even sansa has a little black and yellow rag she was waving around and he didn't know how he felt about it all. Maybe school spirit wasn't that bad.

He turns to his right to see Lommy already smirking at him before pulling the little black megaphone from behind his back.

Gendry just shakes his head while Lommy's eyes brighten.

"On the house." 

* * *

The pep rally had gone into full gear and he was equal parts amused and terrified with how much devotion KL Prep's students garnered for their sports teams and their senior players as they had been introduced followed by announcements of try out's still being held but only for a short amount of time so if students wanted a spot on this or that team, they'd best be quick.

They'd also gone crazy at the announcements of Homecoming, the multiple Friday fun nights the school was going to put on, and every other dance or social event they'd been planning.

Even coach Clegane got a few cheers at his announcement of the boxing team before he rolled his eyes and walked off to the side.

Cheers were a little less loud where student government was concerned, but he saw Sansa perk up beside him from the corner of his eye so he cheered on his megaphone for her. He also saw the little smile she shot him from the corner of his eye for his unwavering support.

The introduction of the football team might have deafened him if only for five minutes, with their reigning title of holding the trophy and being the reigning champions in the continent having gone undefeated by any other prep schools for 5 years and he only snorts a little at the ridiculousness that accompanied football.

Ned Dayne's name being announced through the speaker phone by coach Tarth garnered a disbelieving amount of cheers and he saw rather than heard the rustling of pom poms at the bottom of the bleachers.

When the KL Prep cheerleaders got in formation while chanting "KL Prep, Where's Your Pep?" after all announcements had been made and most if not all sports team had made their entrances, it put whatever cheers and excitement everybody there felt for all the prior events to absolute shame.

All around him, everybody was cheering wildly for them, with their own shouts of "We've Got Prep!" and "Go Stags! Go!"

"Come on, Gendry! Use your megaphone! You've got pep, show it! Why do you think I gave you that thing?" Lommy said while shaking Gendry's shoulders.

Gendry only shook his head but put the megaphone up to his mouth if only to indulge Lommy and encourage Arya.

"Go Arya!" His voice boomed only slightly more above the other cheers and it pulled Arya's attention away from the right side of the bleachers to where he was.

The wink she sent his way was enough to make him feel like everybody sitting around him were cheering for him.

"Like I said. Raved." Sansa says and he shoots her a halfhearted glare before turning back around and smiling at Arya.

The cheerleaders began their routine after they gathered what they deemed was enough school spirit and there was no doubt in his mind that Arya truly did love to dance.

Everybody else was cheering for the moves made by them and the stunts and flips and kicks they all pulled and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't impressed because he most certainly was, but all that seemed to captivate his attention was Arya and how the rhythm of the music seemed to flow through her as she and her team worked together in their dances and cheers and flips. Arya, and the determined look she had set in her eyes accompanied by a smirk as she stood on one of her teammates shoulders and flipped through the air like he hadn't knew she could.

Arya and her rustling of pom poms and shouts above the music and rallying for pep.

His thoughts were swirling as his eyes were set on her and the same thought that kept floating around was that she really is a cheerleader.

And a damn good one at that.

* * *

He texted Davos shortly after the cheerleaders finished their routine and stayed back a bit while mostly everybody around him started gathering their things for the wrapping up of the pep rally. Davos let him know he'd be there in 20.

Coach Tarth made a few more announcements over the next ten minutes about game dates and such and once everything had wrapped up, he was proud to say he survived his very first pep rally.

It was a lot more commotion than he had been anticipating and the excitement he hadn't really been expecting. They really did go hard for their school pride he learned.

Sansa gave him a quick goodbye side hug he hadn't been expecting before she descended down the stairs of the bleachers to go accompany her brother and their friends at the bottom. 

He turned to Lommy and Hot Pie and they all stood at the same time and walked after one another down the bleachers and onto firm ground. They walk towards the side fences that lead to the parking lot where all the other students and faculty had filtered through when they made their exits earlier.

"We'll see you tomorrow!" Hot Pie said, his voice chipper and his face more than. Lommy smiled and nodded in agreement with Hot Pie while Gendry nodded back.

"You will. Stay out of trouble and try not to annoy anyone else." He shot the last part to Lommy who only rolled his eyes.

"Okay dad." 

Gendry only shook his head as they parted ways and Hot Pie and Lommy began to walk away. He looks around him and checks the time realizing Davos would be there any minute. He busies himself with looking at the night sky, decorated with white twinkles of stars and he thinks he might draw tonight if he has the time later.

"So what did you think?" 

He turns around and immediately his eyes shoot down to Arya in front of him, eyes bright and cheeks a little red.

He smiles at her a little, "I think you're a cheerleader."

Arya gives him a funny look, "I am a cheerleader." She nods.

"A really good cheerleader." He adds.

Her lips quirk up, "I know."

He snorts and she laughs a little, "Thanks." She says softly after a moment.

He looks at her, his expression unreadable and her eyes get rounder by the minute like she's waiting for him to say something else but before he gets the chance to tell her just how magical she made _cheerleading _seem, his phone is buzzing in his pocket.

He shoots her a look and she laughs and gestures for him to pick up.

"Hey there, lad. I'm parked in the lot whenever you're ready." Davos' hearty voice flows through the line and fills his ears and he can't find it in himself to be mad at the interruption if it came in the form of Davos.

"Thanks Davos. I'll be there in a minute." 

He puts his phone away and looks at Arya who was fiddling with the end of her skirt. He clears his throat and she looks up at him.

"I have to go, my dad's driver is waiting." He says and she nods her head in understanding.

"Yeah, I should probably get going too, don't want to keep my sister and brother waiting too long." She gestured over to where Sansa and Bran were waiting outside the fences by the black SUV he saw pick her up from detention the night before.

He nods and before he says goodbye she's speaking again.

"Did you like it? I mean, did you have fun?" 

He smiled at the way she was slightly fumbling over her words and he could think of ten things he didn't like about tonight but not a single one of them came close to the one thing he did like about tonight and that one thing was her.

The lights around the football field only made the yellow in her uniform pop more and the stars in the sky seemed to pair well with the grey in her eyes as she looked at him, waiting for him to answer.

"You were great and pep rally's aren't all that bad I guess. So yeah, I had fun."

He paused at the appearance of a smile on her face.

"I liked it."

She gives him a nod and bites her lip before looking down at her sneakers and back up at him and in an instant her confidence is back.

"I'm glad." 

She turns her head at the honk and sees Sansa staring at her with that look in her eyes that meant trouble. Arya rolled her eyes and turned to Gendry.

"I gotta go."

He nods, "Me too. I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks, his voice wavering this time.

She smirks up at him before she begins backing up, "We'll see." 

She turns around completely and dashes towards her siblings and the car and he just shakes his head and heads to where Davos told him he was.

He makes his way there and opens the passenger car door after knocking on the glass and sits next to Davos, his smile still in place.

"Had a good time then, lad?" Davos asks him, his own smile claiming his features.

Gendry looks at Davos and turns his head to look at the now empty football field.

"You could say that."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the amount of times I wrote 'Go Stags! Go!' this chapter eye-  
sorry guys haha (no I'm not.)  
Also, sorry for my terrible description of their cheering and what not, if you need a visual or would like an actual routine to envision them doing while all of KL Prep and a very swooning Gendry are staring on here's a link to one!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r6gJzAS6xk
> 
> peace and love,  
ohnoshefell

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you're enjoying ;)
> 
> peace and love,
> 
> ohnoshefell


End file.
